Hi All,
I have a general question that i couldnt find doing a search.
Is it better to lose weight first before focusing on a high intensity phase?
Reason i ask is im still heading downwards from 255lbs to 175lbs. Right now I'm at around 210. I started this June 1, 2005. I got down to 205 by October. My background as a cyclist is that i've been riding since toe clips&straps and nailed-on cletes were de riguer (im 43). I stopped racing in 2001 and spent 5 years getting fat. I targeted 2006 as the year to start competeing, but a new Ducati Monster in Sept. plus winter sloth has put me behind the 8 ball. Instead of being at around 180 lbs, had i stuck to the plan, im at 210 right now.
My base training since January has been ok, but not the high milage i was putting out last summer. In the last couple of weeks, i had been doing some group spinerval type workouts and hill reapeats. Last weekend i was absolutely destroyed and got dropped off the group ride in less than 10 miles. I had no top end.
It got me to thinking that maybe i dont have enough base. And that im not getting the calories needed to do high intensity workouts. Right now im running a deficit sufficient to lose 1-2 lbs a week. My thinking is that i should continue to work on endurance doing light intensity and middle intensity cruise type intervals while im losing the weight and worry about the super high efforts like sprints, 100% LT and hill repeats once i can stop dieting.
I want to hit the races around late May. By then i will be back at the same racing weight when i stopped, about 185-190lbs. My goal is to be better than i was before, and being 190 is not good enough, i always suffered in road races that had hills. I would like to right that wrong.
Am i one the right track here? I could use some suggestions if anyone has some good input to offer.
Thanks
I have a general question that i couldnt find doing a search.
Is it better to lose weight first before focusing on a high intensity phase?
Reason i ask is im still heading downwards from 255lbs to 175lbs. Right now I'm at around 210. I started this June 1, 2005. I got down to 205 by October. My background as a cyclist is that i've been riding since toe clips&straps and nailed-on cletes were de riguer (im 43). I stopped racing in 2001 and spent 5 years getting fat. I targeted 2006 as the year to start competeing, but a new Ducati Monster in Sept. plus winter sloth has put me behind the 8 ball. Instead of being at around 180 lbs, had i stuck to the plan, im at 210 right now.
My base training since January has been ok, but not the high milage i was putting out last summer. In the last couple of weeks, i had been doing some group spinerval type workouts and hill reapeats. Last weekend i was absolutely destroyed and got dropped off the group ride in less than 10 miles. I had no top end.
It got me to thinking that maybe i dont have enough base. And that im not getting the calories needed to do high intensity workouts. Right now im running a deficit sufficient to lose 1-2 lbs a week. My thinking is that i should continue to work on endurance doing light intensity and middle intensity cruise type intervals while im losing the weight and worry about the super high efforts like sprints, 100% LT and hill repeats once i can stop dieting.
I want to hit the races around late May. By then i will be back at the same racing weight when i stopped, about 185-190lbs. My goal is to be better than i was before, and being 190 is not good enough, i always suffered in road races that had hills. I would like to right that wrong.
Am i one the right track here? I could use some suggestions if anyone has some good input to offer.
Thanks